Geauga Lake Amusement Park

It was announced that beginning with the 2008 season, Geauga Lake &
Wildwater Kingdom will become exclusively a water park attraction.

Geauga Lake theme park was home to 8 roller coasters ranging from a
classic woodie, The Big Dipper, to Dominator, the world's longest
floorless roller coaster.

Weather was partly cloudy with temps only in the high 70's when I
visited Geauga Lake Amusement Park in 1997. Crowds were virtually
non-existent with more parents and young children. As a result, lines
were pretty short for nearly all the rides.

Big Dipper

The Big Dipper, built in 1925 is a Miller Out
& Back coaster well worth the stop at Geauga Lake. It was one of
the smoothest wooden coasters I've ridden. The Big Dipper is an ACE "Coaster Classic" and was the 7th oldest
operating roller coaster in the US.

There was good air time over the many dips and humps (up to 65 feet) of
this classic coasters 2,600-foot track. While the back seat provided
the most air time (it seemed like I was being ejected from the seat
throughout the ride) the front seat still had good air time and
provides the best view. My only complaint with these cars were the
tight lap bars which I found very uncomfortable.

With the closure of Geauga Lake by Cedar Fair, enthusiasts and
preservationists are concerned was the future of the venerated park's
classic Big Dipper roller coaster, which is the country's seventh
oldest roller coaster. American Coaster Enthusiasts has made saving
this coaster a high priority. Members of ACE's Executive Committee have
begun a dialogue with government officials, business leaders, and Cedar
Fair executives, hoping to come to an agreeable solution to save this
highly regarded coaster.

Founded in 1978, ACE
is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to the
preservation, promotion, appreciation, and safe enjoyment of roller
coasters. With close to 7,000 members in 50 states and 12 countries,
ACE is the largest amusement park enthusiast organization in the world.

Double Loop

This looping thrill ride sent passengers through two consecutive loops
after plunging down a 95-foot lift hill at 36 mph on 1,800 feet of
solid steel track!

Its short ride was welcome after sitting in these most uncomfortable
hard seats. I rode the back seat and since I value my back, I didn't
ride again.

The Double Loop does have the distinction of being the first roller
coaster in the world that contained two consecutive loops. View more
photos of Double Loop

On June 17, 2008, the Double Loop was sold at auction with a
majority of other rides at the former Geauga Lake amusement park. It
was bought for the price of $25,000 by Cleveland Scrap and later
demolished.

Raging Wolf Bobs

Raging Wolf Bobs
(1988) - Summers Twister.
I found this 80-foot tall wooden coaster with its 3,426 feet of twists,
turns and dives to be rather rough, especially in any seat other than
the front. The back seat really throws you around and the narrow seats
with a divider made it very uncomfortable.

On June 17, 2008, Raging Wolf Bobs was sold for $2,500. The ride
started to be demolished in 2011 and slowly took until the early Spring
of 2014 to be completely gone.

Head Spin

Mind
Eraser (1996), now called Head Spin is a Vekoma Boomerang. This
is not unlike other Boomerangs at other parks where you rocket forwards
and backwards through 360 degree loops at speeds up to 45mph. All in
all, this is a rather smooth ride and again, the trip backward is
better than the forward trek.

The ride was moved to Carowinds in 2009, where it is now called
Carolina Cobra.

Roller Coasters added at Geauga Lake since my visit in 1997:Thunderhawk (1998) was a unique suspending looping coaster.
Now open at Michigan's Adventure.Dominator (2000) was billed as the world's longest floorless
coaster. Now open at Kings Dominion.Villain (2000) is a world-class wooden coaster climbing 120 feet
and reaching speeds of 60 mph. It was demolished and sold to Cleveland
Scrap for $2,500 in 2008.
X-Flight (2001) was moved to Kings Island in 2007 and renamed, Firehawk.